koala vs Mallard

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Anas platyrhynchos

Key Differences

koala is Vulnerable while Mallard is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Mallard
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Anatidae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Anas
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Anas platyrhynchos

Evolutionary Relationship

koala and Mallard share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Mallard

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Mallard
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	75 cm	—
Average Weight	10.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Mallard

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and deserts and xeric shrublands spanning the Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (5 countries), Asia (Bhutan, Nepal), Europe (7 countries), North America (Barbados, El Salvador, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (4 countries).

koala

Iconic marsupial of eastern and southeastern Australia, koalas weigh up to 15 kg and spend up to 22 hours daily sleeping to conserve energy from their low-calorie eucalyptus leaf diet. Highly specialized to process toxic eucalyptus compounds that would kill most other mammals, they have gut microbiomes uniquely adapted for detoxification. Listed as Endangered in 2022, with populations decimated by chlamydia disease, habitat clearing, and climate change.

Mallard

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.